By Mercy Matonga
Malawi’s 2023 cholera outbreak led to the highest number of cholera deaths in a single country in 2023, a World Health Organisation (WHO) report has revealed.
The report says Malawi’s death toll of 1,700 people also marked the deadliest cholera outbreak in the country’s history while, globally, Malawi’s number of cholera cases was more than that in any of the 30 other countries affected by cholera in 2023.
Globally, there were over 667,000 cases and 4,000 deaths recorded, with Afghanistan registering the highest number of 215,210 cases despite registering fewer deaths than Malawi — 99 deaths, followed by Syria with 180,288 cases. In total, Malawi registered 59,114 cases.
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The report adds that several countries, Malawi inclusive, eventually received cholera vaccines to combat outbreaks.
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“Between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, 12 countries submitted 30 requests for oral cholera vaccine (OCV) doses for emergency use. A total of 33 million doses were dispatched, fully allocating the available stockpile.
“As of 9 January 2024, the global OCV stockpile stands at 1.1 million doses, which are available for allocation but not yet committed,” the report reads.
Reacting to the report, Presidential Taskforce on Cholera co-Chairperson, Winfred Chalamira Nkhoma, told The Daily Times that the country was doing its best to avert the reemergence of the outbreak.
“There is progressive work being done to scale up safe water sources in most communities; all of the kiosks that were closed due to inability to pay bills have been reopened by the water boards,” Nkhoma said.
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In a separate interview, Malawi Health Equity Network Executive Director George Jobe said that the government should focus on dispelling myths and misconceptions about cholera that contributed to the worsening of the outbreak.
“We can speculate on the number of reasons for this but the truth is that cholera came soon after Covid, which was linked to a lot of beliefs. So, with the outbreak of cholera coming within the same period, people were connecting the two and people were seeking treatment very late,” Jobe said.
WHO has since warned that as the rainy season begins in Southern East Africa, several countries are at risk of facing cholera outbreaks.
However, Malawi is not among the countries specifically singled out as being under direct threat.
“In Southeast Africa, several countries, including Burundi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, are currently in their rainy season, which typically spans from October to April. The heightened rainfall during this period can result in the overflow of water sources and inadequate sanitation systems, leading to the mixing of sewage and drinking water, which creates prime conditions for cholera transmission. The risk is particularly acute in under-resourced areas, where access to clean water and sanitation facilities is limited,” the report warns.
Meanwhile, as rains have begun in most parts of Malawi, the risk of outbreaks has increased, with the authorities saying between November last year and now, Malawi has registered 47 cholera cases from nine districts in the country.
